1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to magnetically responsive nanoparticle therapeutic carriers, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to nanoparticle therapeutic carrier and construct compositions, methods of making magnetically responsive nanoparticle therapeutic constructs, and methods of delivering such constructs to target cells within a body.
2. Background of the Invention
Nanoparticles generally refer to particles having at least one dimension of about 100 nanometers or less. Magnetic nanoparticles offer many potentially enhanced medical treatment options due to their very small size and the ability to manipulate their movement using an externally applied magnetic field gradient. A major goal in medical applications using magnetic nanoparticle carriers is to increase deposition in a specific target area so as to increase the dose in the affected area and to allow less dosage in non-affected areas. For example, the particles may be used as carriers for pharmaceuticals, such as anticancer drugs, and the carrier particles may be magnetically targeted to a specific area of the body, such as a tumor.
In many applications of this technology, what is needed is improved chemical bonding of the therapeutic to the magnetic nanoparticle carriers, as well as means to improve the targeting ability for concentration at the target site via vascular extravasation or by extravasation concurrent with cellular uptake, and lengthening the half-life of the resulting construct in the body. These and other objectives will be better understood with reference to the following disclosure.